


let the right one in

by Aeriel



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 09:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2223534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeriel/pseuds/Aeriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lady Phantomhive begins to learn how to get what she wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let the right one in

**Author's Note:**

> Toooooootally on time entry for ring 2 of Kuroshitsuji Fanworks Circus, using image 1 as inspiration (the keys).

The Phantomhive estate was filled with locked doors, but that didn't necessarily mean one had privacy.  
  
Oh, a lock without a key was a perfectly good means of keeping Lizzie out, of course. One which she mildly resented since she was not generally a contrary woman, and would happily respect an honest request to stay out of a certain suite or not open a strange box if she had no particular need to do otherwise.  
  
But Sebastian had the key to every single one of those locks. And even if he didn't, Lizzie was beginning to suspect he might have found the means to bypass them regardless. He was a man of endless resources.   
  
It was exasperating to find oneself the mistress of a household and know that most of ones duties were already being performed by a butler who needed no further instructions. Marriage was supposed to give her responsibilities and occupations, and yet Lizzie felt as though she had never had less to do in her life.  
  
And it was honestly a little eerie how omnipresent Sebastian was. Lizzie had wondered at there not being a means to summon him to various rooms, at least, at first.  
  
"He will come when you call," Ciel said simply, when she asked about it.   
  
And Sebastian did. Always.  
  
This didn't extend to anyone else, unfortunately. If Lizzie wanted to ask Finnian about the gardens, she had to make an effort to find him, or else ask Sebastian to. Paula still assisted her in the mornings and evenings but was less present than she had been when Lizzie was a child.   
  
Ciel, of course, was busy with his work. Which was perfectly understandable and nothing new, really, but it left her feeling rather lonely.  
  
There was another door between her bedroom and his. It wasn't locked, not to her and certainly not to him, but there were times when Lizzie felt that it might as well be. When they were children, she would have thought nothing of barging in and pushing past any objections Ciel might have had to spend time with him. Now she thought, perhaps, there were some barriers that were better left alone. And if he didn't want to see her, it was better to stay away then to see him grow irritated with her.  
  
This feminine impulse aside, Lizzie still could not help being rather assertive. She pressed Ciel to talk about his day and mood (he could be as vague as he liked so long as they had _something_ to discuss) and took a hand in his wardrobe (which, though Nina Hopkins would no longer design for him, was almost certainly something Sebastian could have managed to arrange if Lizzie let him, but she had no intention of letting him). She talked to the servants about trivial matters, though she was aware it made them rather nervous.  
  
Once or twice she asked Sebastian to play chess with her.  
  
Naturally, his sense of propriety would not allow him to consent. He reminded her of this, even after she gave a rather childish pout and complained, "Ciel says it isn't any fun to play me because he always wins so fast. But I'm never going to get any better if I keep losing to him."  
  
She thought she saw a flicker of amusement in his face. "I shall endeavor to find a suitable tutor for you, my lady."  
  
 _You're already here_ , Lizzie thought grumpily, but nodded wordlessly.   
  
In the evenings, after Paula had undressed her and wished her good night, Lizzie often sat on her bed and stared at that door. They hadn't been married long, so she really had nothing to complain of yet. From some of the comments a few of her married friends had made, she thought they might say that she had nothing to complain of at all.   
  
It was only that it was unsettling, somehow, to have been told stories by her mother and female relations about how overpowering men's desire was, to have been warned to brace herself for unwanted and constant attention, only to be met with… nothing.   
  
Other men wanted Lizzie, she was certain of that. She had felt them looking at her on the street and tried not to shrink under their steady gaze. Edward had felt it too, and gripped her arm tightly while staring down whoever was within his viewpoint until they looked away, embarrassed.   
  
And sometimes she had thought Ciel wanted her too-- more than once she had seen him, out of the corner of her eye, taking stock of her form. There was no lack of enthusiasm in their kisses. She certainly wanted-- well, she wasn't sure what, exactly. To be closer to him, yes, but it wasn't quite as simple as that.  
  
Lizzie bit her lip. The door stayed closed.   
  
She thought she might broach the subject at some point during the day. But it seemed so terribly gauche to discuss the consummation of their marriage over breakfast, and it wasn't as if it was any more appropriate to say something during tea.  
  
And then one evening when they were walking to their rooms, Sebastian leading the way with a candelabra, Lizzie boldly seized Ciel's hand. He turned to face her, and said, with mild confusion, "Lizzie?"  
  
When was it, exactly, that he had gone from being cute to being handsome?   
  
She lost her nerve and looked away. "It's nothing."  
  
They stood like that for a few moments, Lizzie wondering if she should let go of his hand. She thought he might be searching her face for clues as to her intentions.  
  
Finally, he touched her cheek. "You shouldn't keep secrets," Ciel said softly.  
  
Before she could begin to work out what he meant by that bit of hypocrisy, he had gone on ahead, Sebastian waiting in between them.   
  
"Sebastian," Lizzie heard her husband say from somewhere up the hall, "do you think I enjoy wandering around in the dark? Don't just stand there. Either of you."  
  
Lizzie hurried to catch up, and Sebastian walked beside her.  
  
They said their usual goodnights, and Lizzie went into her bedroom where Paula undressed her. Paula tended to be rather talkative, and usually Lizzie was happy to have a conversation, but tonight she was thoughtful.  
  
After Paula left, she climbed out of bed and stood in front of the door. She had the key, of course, but she did not take it.  
  
"Sebastian," Lizzie said softly.  
  
It was utterly impossible for him to have heard her. She had not really believed that he would.  
  
But the door to the hallway opened, and there he was, as though she had used a bell pull.  
  
"Sebastian," she repeated. "I want him to come to me tonight."  
  
He bowed to her. "Yes, my lady."  
  
After he left, Lizzie remained standing, strangely calm. She wouldn't have dared suggest such a thing if she weren't absolutely certain that Sebastian could make it happen.   
  
Although it was dark, her eyes had begun to adjust to the muted light from the window. Still, Lizzie heard the key in the lock before she saw the handle turn and the door move.  
  
Ciel stepped into her bedroom, the candlestick in his hand illuminating his pensive face.   
  
"I've been remiss," he said, after a moment. "You would be well within your rights to chastise me for it."  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "It wasn't really my rights or my duty I was thinking about. I asked because," she hesitated, "because I love you. And I want to… do this for you."  
  
Her husband's expression tightened. "I appreciate that." He put down the candle, but did not extinguish it. "But you have to tell me if I hurt you. Or if you change your mind."  
  
She wasn't surprised at the lack of sweeping romance (even if a part of her wished it were otherwise) but she hadn't expected him to say that. "I will."  
  
Ciel cupped her face in his hands then, and leaned in. At first it was barely a kiss at all, but when Lizzie gripped the back of his nightshirt, something changed between them. Oh, yes, he wanted her. Whatever the trouble had been, it wasn't that.  
  
In the flickering light from the single candle, Lizzie thought, for a moment, that she saw Sebastian standing by the door, watching. But when she looked again, there was no sign he had ever been there.  
  



End file.
